Automotive manufactures constantly strive for enhancements in drive quality. A key element of this noise and vibration (NVH) reduction within the passenger cell. This can come from many sources including ‘combustion’ from the engine and ‘gear whine’ from the gear box. Much of this noise is transferred through components that pass from the engine compartment to the passenger cell, one such component being the transmission cable.
Transmission cables provide mechanical actuation of the gear box from the gear shifter as shown schematically in FIG. 1. They can be manual cables (2 legs) or automatic cables (1 leg) 2. They connect directly to the gear box passing through the vehicle bulk head into the passenger cell, attaching to the gear shifter.
These cables generally have two main components. The first is the inner cable 7 which provides the mechanical movement. This is usually constructed from a series of wound steel filaments 8 which forms the cable and is generally coated with a low friction polymer 10 such as Nylon 66. At each end of the inner cable is an ‘eye end’ which allows connection to the gear box and shifter. A cross sectional view of the cable and conduit is represented in FIG. 2, and a perspective representation of the cable and conduit with each layer from inside outwards peeled back to clearly show the layers of the cable and the conduit.
The inner cable runs inside the conduit 12 which forms the second part of the cable. This may be of a multilayered construction consisting of a low friction liner 14 of PTFE or PBT which is wound with steel wires 16 and coated with a polymer 18 such as polypropylene. With reference to FIG. 1, at a point along the conduit is a fixing element 19, often termed an ‘abutment’ which attaches to the body of a vehicle. In particular, the practice has developed of anchoring the conduit to an opening in a bracket 21 or bulkhead across which the inner cable 7 passes.
The abutment must be durable. Automotive components must withstand a combination of harsh loading and environmental conditions. A typical transmission cable must withstand operating loads of up to 300N whilst undergoing in excess of 1 million operating cycles. This is in combination with temperatures between −50 C and +130 C, in the presence of 90% humidity, corrosive and abrasive environments. FIGS. 4a and 4b show a prior art abutment in perspective and cross section views, and FIG. 5 shows three views of the inner part of the prior art abutment showing the damper and channel for receiving the cable.
The anchoring point (not shown) comprises a bracket or similarly fixed member having a generally U-shaped slot for receiving the abutment attached to a cable. The abutment is located in the slot of the bracket and fixed by some sort of means so as to resist withdrawal of the abutment from the slot and also axial movement of the abutment relative to the slot. Details of a suitable abutment are described in International patent application published under number WO2004/036068. Referring to FIGS. 4a and 4b, the abutment body defines two opposing shoulder portions 22a and 22b wherein the axial distance between the shoulder portions is fixed and defines an engagement portion of the abutment body 20. The collar 24 can be retracted axially against a spring 26 which in turn retracts the chamfered end 9 which has a plurality of grooves therein which in use passes into an engagement portion of a bracket fixed to the vehicle body. The abutment body 20 extends in the opposing axial direction away from the collar to provide a cavity therein for receipt of the damper 26. A cap 28 is provided for ensuring that the damper is retained in the abutment body 20. The cap is secured to the abutment body by a plurality of fingers 30 which have on their underside a recess configured to receive a corresponding protrusion on the abutment body 20. This ensures that accidental release of the cap 28 is unlikely.
A receiving element 32 is provided which is swaged onto the conduit. The receiving element includes a seat 31 and in combination with the swaging operation prevents longitudinal movement of the conduit relative to the receiving element. The damper is provided either side of the receiving element which includes shoulder portions 33a and 33b. The damper may be provided in a single part formed around the receiving element or alternatively may be provided into discreet portions which are arranged such that one of the portions of the damper extends over the radial edge of the receiving element which provides damping material in communication on both sides of the receiving element and in particular the shoulders thereof. This can be shown at point 35 showing that the damper extends over the peripheral radial edge of the receiving element defining the peripheral shoulder portion 33a and 33b. 
FIG. 5 is a schematic representation showing the damper 26 and receiving element 32. FIG. 5 clearly shows that the damper may be formed of two discreet portions 37a and 37b where the portion 37a have increased longitudinal length and seats over the circumferential radial edge of the receiving element which defines the shoulder portions 33a and 33b. 
Due to the metal filaments used in construction conduit transmission cables are an extremely efficient transfer path for NVH. The current technique of NVH reduction is to attach steel damper weights to each conduit. Such damper weights typically weigh approximately 300 g. The vibration input signals at the gear box end of the cable vary depending on the vehicle type, engine size and type and gear box. They can have a frequency range from 20 Hz to in excess of 4000 Hz and have amplitude levels of 1 g to 6 g. The signal and hence the issue can be from a very specific input frequency e.g. 25 Hz or can be over a broader range such as 1900 Hz to 2400 Hz.
These input signals then transfer through the cable and manifest either as audible noise in the passenger cell or as excessive vibration in the gear shift lever. A measure of the effectiveness of this transfer is called the Transfer Function (TF) and is calculated by dividing the output signal by the input signal. A TF>1 means the conduit amplifies the vibration, a TF<1 means the conduit attenuates or damps the vibration, and a TF of 0 means the conduit removes all vibration from the system. The damping works by absorbing and dissipating a significant proportion of the energy of the vibration. This vibration energy is then not available for transfer down the cable into the passenger cell.
A Transfer Function at or closest to zero is preferred, and this is traditionally achieved through use of steel damper weights, attached to the conduit.